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Let’s be completely honest, did anyone tip Arsenal to be leading the Premier League
title charge, ahead of the 2022-23 season? Even at the midway stage of the campaign,
quite a lot of so-called football experts are still refusing to accept the Gunners are
serious candidates, despite performances and results that would clearly suggest
otherwise.
This includes the pundits panel at
Sky Sports, who still don’t believe that Arsenal will
take the Premier League crown, when asked to make their predictions regarding the
final top four. Not one of Graeme Souness, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, or even Jamie
Redknapp, things the side led by Mikel Arteta has what it takes, remaining convinced
that Manchester City will claim their third consecutive title.
Furthermore, none of the punditry trio expects Newcastle United to remain in the top
four. “I Just don’t see it” was the dismissive comment from Souness, who also insisted
Liverpool would turn their season around, indicating his belief they will make a late
charge. But whether any of these pundits actually look seriously at form and results,
well, that remains entirely open to debate, particularly considering how things currently
stand.
Gunners leading the race with Citizens close behind
Regardless of what the TV and newspaper pundits may think, oddsmakers at leading
online bookmakers have an entirely different perspective. Based entirely on
performances throughout the 2022-23 season to date, practically all the major betting
sites are backing Arsenal to hold firm and win the title. Just behind in the betting stakes,
Manchester City have slightly longer odds, fully expected to maintain their Premier
League push.
Having reached the middle of the Premier League fixture schedule, bookies also feel
certain about the top four positions, pricing odds to reflect belief that little will change
once the season concludes. Indeed, the odds are so short for Arsenal and Manchester
City, oddsmakers believe it’s practically a given they will remain in place. Likewise,
both Newcastle United and Manchester United will stay put, albeit competing to finish
third or fourth.
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Beyond those four leading sides, the odds begin to lengthen significantly, taking quite a
large jump for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, who are both tipped to finish within
the top six. After that, odds lengthen even further towards Brighton and Chelsea, with
neither expected to realistically break into the top four positions. Beyond those teams,
punters are then looking at longshots, teams with little to no chance of jostling their way
higher.
Nevertheless, and being fair to any pundits attempting to make predictions, the
unpredictability of the Premier League is what makes the competition so popular. And
whichever teams punters do decide to back, doing so with sound advice and guidance is
always the best approach. This is what
SBO aims to provide, covering all the angles
when it comes to football betting, such as analysing markets available and reviewing the
best sites.
Relegation battle is tough to forecast
While the balance of power at the Premier League summit is one thing, and reasonably
straightforward when it comes to making predictions, attempting to do so for the bottom
half of the table is an entirely different matter. Heading into the final half of the 2022-23
campaign, there are at least eight sides entrenched in bids to avoid relegation,
suggesting the race for survival will be highly competitive.
Given there are just 6 points dividing Nottingham Forest in 13th position, and
Southampton at the foot of the
Premier League table, this is a contest which remains
wide open. Down there and wedged amidst those two sides are Leicester City, Leeds
United, West Ham United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, just outside the relegation
zone. Bournemouth are stuck in the bottom three, while Everton are in the penultimate
position.
Of all these teams, Nottingham Forest have managed to improve their form, suggesting
they may be capable of pulling away from the drop zone, while both Everton and
Southampton are both in dire straits. But however things eventually pan out, such a
competitive fight for survival will certainly make for a thrilling conclusion to the
season, and just as exciting as the contest up at the other end of the Premier League
table.